Born in Germantown, Pennsylvania in 1871, Edith Longstreth Wood spent much of her life in the Philadelphia area. She attended Bryn Mawr College and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and during most of her career, she worked and lived in Center City. She painted in a variety of genres, but her still-lifes garnered the most attention. She worked using oil or watercolor, lithography or other black and white media.

In 1912, Edith Longstreth married William Wood for what would be a brief marriage; William died in 1922. During their marriage, the couple lived in California and entertained Philadelphia Ten artist and Edith’s lifelong friend Katharine Barker Fussell. Another close friend of Edith's within the Philly Ten group was Margaret Ralston Gest, with whom she spent several months in Paris studying at the L'Academie Scandinave. In 1935, they both were guest exhibitors with the Philadelphia Ten. Following the death of her husband, Edith returned to Philadelphia and began to focus on her painting.

Wood exhibited regularly at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, the Art Alliance, and the Print Club. Other venues outside Philadelphia included New York City, Gloucester, and Washington, D.C. Wood was in poor health much of her life, especially the ten years prior to her death. She was honored with a one-woman memorial exhibition at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in December 1967, the year of her death. Edith's her work was described by friend and fellow painter Helen Sharpless Lloyd as 'diligent, joyful, innocent, and intense.' Until her death, Edith was a tireless worked and a fixture on the Philadelphia art scene.